Anton Engelbert "Toni" Sailer (Kitzbühel, November 17, 1935 – Innsbruck, August 24, 2009), known as "The Blitz from Kitz", was the greatest Alpine skier in Olympic history. At age 20, swept the men's gold medals at the 1956 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, becoming the first person to win three alpine skiing golds (3) in a single Olympics.
Although his feat of winning all three Alpine events at the 1956 Winter Games was matched by Jean-Claude Killy 12 years later, Sailer's overall performance was far more impressive. First, he won the Giant Slalom by 6.2 seconds, the largest margin of victory in Olympic history. He then won the Slalom, recording the fastest time in both runs, and finally, he closed his participation in the Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 Winter Games winning the Downhill by 3.5 seconds.
Sailer nearly repeated the feat at the 1958 Alpine World Ski Championships in Bad Gastein, Salzburg, Austria, with two golds (Downhill and Giant Slalom) and a silver (Slalom).
He also won world titles both years in the Combined, then a "paper" race, -the world champion in the combined was determined "on paper" by the results of the three races of Downhill, Giant Slalom, and Slalom-, but awarded with medals by the International Ski Federation (FIS).
His career at the international level lasted only four seasons before he retired at the peak of his career, only 23 years old, to become a hotelier and an occasional film actor and singer (He acted in 25 films and released 18 records). He also created his own brand of ski clothing. Sailer's universal fame can also be attributed to his role as a stunt double for George Lazenby’s legendary James Bond, as Sailer plunged down the steep slopes of Piz Gloria in the film "007 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service."
Sailer retired from competition and began his lucrative career in show business. He continued to be present at the White Circus in the years to come and also took on the role of technical director of the Austrian team, launching the career of the new national ski phenomenons, Franz Klammer and Annemarie Moser-Pröll. He then became director of the legendary Hahnenkamm Race, the most prestigious competition at the Alpine Ski World Cup in Kitzbühel.
Olympic Winter Games Starts: 3
Olympic Winter Games Medals: 3
Olympic Winter Games Victories: 3 (Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956, DH, SL, and GS)
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Starts: 8
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Podiums: 8
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Victories: 7
Comments